🌿 Folk Prescriptions

1. Pressing Method: Using the thumb or palm heel to press down steadily on a specific area or acupoint, holding pressure without rigidity. This is a guiding technique applicable to all body parts. Clinically, it includes finger pressing, palm pressing, and elbow pressing.
Finger Pressing: Smaller contact area, easier to control stimulation intensity. It opens blockages, dispels cold, relieves pain, and is commonly used for beauty and health preservation. For example, regularly pressing facial and ocular acupoints improves appearance and protects vision.
Palm Pressing: Larger contact area, milder stimulation. Suitable for large, flat areas like the back, waist, and abdomen.
Elbow Pressing: Using the prominent olecranon process during elbow flexion to press the body surface. High pressure and strong stimulation, suitable only for thick, muscular areas like the waist and buttocks.
When performing pressing, the contact area must adhere closely to the body surface without slipping. Pressure should gradually increase from light to heavy—never apply sudden force. Often combined with rubbing to form the “press-rub” compound technique: after reaching adequate depth, perform small, slow circular motions, blending firmness with gentleness.
2. Rubbing Method: Using the palm or finger surface to adhere to the acupoint surface, performing rhythmic clockwise or counterclockwise circular movements with the wrist and forearm. Types include finger rubbing, palm rubbing, and palm-heel rubbing.
Finger Rubbing: Using the surfaces of the index, middle, and ring fingers to adhere to a specific area, performing rhythmic rotary movements centered on the wrist, involving hand and fingers.
Palm Rubbing: Using the palm surface to adhere to a specific area, performing rhythmic rotary movements centered on the wrist, involving hand and fingers.
Palm-Heel Rubbing: Using the big and small fish-edges of the palm to move across the body, with slightly raised fingers and slightly bent finger and hand joints, using wrist motion to sway left and right. Can be alternated between hands.
When using rubbing, keep elbows naturally bent, wrists relaxed, fingers and palms naturally extended, movements smooth and coordinated. Frequency about 120 times per minute. Gentle and mild stimulation—commonly used on chest, abdomen, and flanks. Regular rubbing of the abdomen and flanks promotes smooth qi flow, relieving chest tightness, regulating digestion, enhancing appetite.
3. Pushing Method: Four fingers joined together, pressed firmly against the skin, pushing muscles upward or sideways. Includes flat pushing, straight pushing, circular pushing, and converging pushing. Here we explain flat pushing:
(1) Finger Flat Pushing: Using the thumb’s surface, with other fingers providing support, push along meridian pathways or parallel to muscle fibers. Commonly used on shoulders, back, chest, abdomen, waist, buttocks, and limbs.
(2) Palm Flat Pushing: Palms flat on the skin, focusing on the palm heel, pushing in a certain direction. Can also use both palms stacked to push in one direction. Suitable for larger areas.
(3) Elbow Flat Pushing: Using the olecranon process during elbow flexion to push in a certain direction. Strong stimulation, suitable only for thick, muscular areas like the buttocks and the bladder meridian along the back spine.
When using pushing, keep fingers, palms, and elbows close to the body surface, apply steady, slow, and even pressure. This technique can be used on any body part, enhancing muscle excitability, promoting blood circulation, and relaxing tendons and meridians.
4. Picking Method: “Picking” means grasping and lifting. Use the thumb and index/middle finger tips to grasp a specific area or acupoint symmetrically, alternating between firm and loose pressure. Keep wrists relaxed and flexible, apply force with the finger surface. Movements should be smooth and continuous—no pauses. Apply force gradually from light to heavy, then from heavy to light—never suddenly. This is a common health-preserving tuina technique, effective for dispelling wind-cold, relaxing tendons, opening meridians, and relieving pain. Used on neck, shoulders, limbs, and acupoints, often serving as a concluding technique.
5. Rubbing Method: Using the thenar surface or palm to adhere to acupoints, performing light, slow circular movements. Includes finger rubbing, thenar rubbing, and palm rubbing.
① Finger Rubbing: Use the thumb, middle finger, or index-middle-ring finger surfaces or tips to lightly press a specific acupoint or area, performing gentle, small-scale circular movements.
② Thenar Rubbing: Use the thenar eminence of the palm to adhere to a specific area or acupoint, performing light circular movements.
③ Palm Rubbing: Use the palm heel, relax the wrist, and perform small-scale rotary movements using the wrist and forearm.
Rubbing is a common health-preserving technique, effective for broadening the chest, regulating qi, eliminating accumulation, promoting blood circulation, resolving stasis, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. Suitable for all body parts. For example, rubbing Zhongwan and combining with other techniques improves gastrointestinal function.
6. Friction Method: Using the thenar, palm heel, or hypothenar of the hand to adhere to a specific area, performing direct back-and-forth friction to generate heat. This method strengthens qi and blood, activates meridians, removes wind-dampness, warms meridians, and offers excellent health benefits.
7. Pointing Method: Using the tip of the thumb, or the middle finger, index finger, or middle phalanx to press or point at a specific area or acupoint. Effective for opening blockages, activating blood, relieving pain, and regulating zang-fu functions. Commonly used for abdominal cramps, lumbar-pelvic pain, etc.
8. Striking Method: Using the back of the fist, palm heel, lateral hypothenar, fingertips, or a mulberry branch stick to strike the body surface. Includes fist striking, hypothenar striking, fingertip striking, and stick striking. This method relaxes tendons, unblocks meridians, and harmonizes blood and qi. Strike quickly and briefly, vertically hitting the surface without dragging. Speed should be even and rhythmic. Fist striking is commonly used on the back; palm striking on the head, buttocks, and limbs; lateral striking on the back and limbs; fingertip striking on the head, chest, and abdomen; stick striking on the head, back, and limbs.
9. Kneading Method: Using both palms or palm sides to grip a specific area, applying opposing forces for rapid kneading while simultaneously moving up and down. This method harmonizes blood and qi, unblocks meridians, and relaxes muscles—suitable for limbs and flanks. Hands must apply symmetrical force, knead quickly, and move slowly.
10. Twisting Method: Using the thenar surface of one thumb and index finger to pinch the fingers of the other hand, applying symmetrical twisting force. This method relaxes tendons, unblocks meridians, and lubricates joints—suitable for fingers, dorsum of hands, and toes. Movements must be agile and quick; avoid stiffness.